TRIM66 expression in non-small cell lung cancer: A new predictor of prognosis

OBJECTIVE: The tripartite motif-containing protein (TRIM) family is involved in important biological processes such as the cell cycle, cell apoptosis, and innate immunity of virus. This study aimed to investigate TRIM66 expression and its predictive role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS: We detected the expression levels of TRIM66 protein and TRIM66 mRNA in NSCLC tissues, and evaluated the prognostic role of TRIM66 in NSCLC. RESULTS: TRIMM66 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues compared with normal paracancerous tissues (P = 0.001). The high TRIM66 expression closely associated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage in NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival model indicated that survival time of NSCLC patients in the high TRIM66 expression group were markedly lower than those in the low expression group (P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that high expression of TRIM66 is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. CONCLUSION: TRIM66 can be serve as an important molecular marker for predicting the prognosis in NSCLC patients.